Yellow Skin, Which Mask?
Daniel Xu
HUM309: Postcolonial Theory
Word Count: 3294
HUM309: Postcolonial Theory
Word Count: 3294
Abstract
Black Skin, White Masks, originally published in 1952, is one of Frantz Fanon’s most important works in which he shares his own experiences to present a historical critique of the effects of racism on the human psyche. His psychoanalysis reveals the oppressed Black man to navigate his environment through the performance of White-ness. Borrowing from Fanon, in this essay I embark upon my own ethnographic journey, sharing my experiences to examine and critique the way in which Yellow-ness is constructed, produced, and denied. I finish by introducing Bhabha’s understanding of mimicry, and questioning whether it offers any relief to navigating the identities of Yellow-ness and White-ness.